Background Lichen simplex chronicus is a dermatological condition due to excessive scratching, with few studies on psychoneuroimmunology. Objective We aimed to estimate the levels of stress, depression, and anxiety, and to measure serum levels of neurotrophins in patients with lichen simplex chronicus, and to correlate these parameters with the severity of the disease and pruritus. Methods Thirty-six patients with lichen simplex chronicus and 36 age- and sex-matched healthy controls were included. Each participant was administered the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale and Perceived Stress Scale questionnaires, along with a visual analog scale for pruritus. Levels of neurotrophins (brain-derived neurotrophic factor, neurotrophin-3, nerve growth factor, glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor) were determined by ELISA assays. Results The scores of Perceived Stress Scale-10, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale were statistically higher in patients (p < 0.05 for all). The serum levels of all neurotrophins were significantly lower in patients compared to healthy controls (p < 0.05 for all). Disease severity showed no correlation with all four neurotrophins. In linear regression models applied for increased visual analog scale-pruritus scores and disease severity these two variables were statistically significant predictors (p = 0.043). Study limitations A direct causal relationship was not addressed. Conclusion Lichen simplex chronicus patients are at risk of increased levels of stress, anxiety, depression, and present decreased levels of neurotrophins, that may suggest a role in the pathophysiology of this disorder.

Objectives Studies have shown that fibrinolysis activity is insufficient in COVID-19 patients. Plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) is an important antifibrinolytic molecule that plays a key role in the fibrinolytic system. In our study; we aimed to evaluate serum PAI-1 and other biochemical parameters of COVID-19 patients in terms of disease course and mortality. Methods A total of 40 COVID-19 patients were hospitalized in the service and intensive care unit (ICU) of our hospital from October to December 2020 and 20 healthy volunteers were included in our study. The patients were grouped as those who transferred to the ICU from the service and transferred to service from the ICU. All patients were transferred to the ICU in the following days. The first and second values of the same patients in both the service and the ICU were analyzed by SPSS. Results The PAI-1 levels of the patients in the ICU were significantly higher than the levels of the same patients in the service and the healthy control group (p<0.001). IL-6, ferritin, and D-dimer levels in the ICU of the same patients were significantly higher than the levels of service and healthy control group (p<0.001). A positive correlation was found between initial serum PAI-1 and D-dimer levels in patients hospitalized in the service (p=0.039) and initial serum ferritin and IL-6 levels in the ICU (p=0.031). Conclusions In our study, we found that PAI-1 levels increased significantly with the increase in mortality in COVID-19 patients.

Amaç: Tiroid stimülan hormon (TSH), serbest T4 (sT4) ve serbest T3 (sT3) testlerinin referans aralıklarını laboratuvarımızın sonuç verilerinden indirekt yöntem ile belirlemek ve belirlenen referans aralıkları kullanmakta olduğumuz kitlerin ve yöntemin üreticisi tarafından önerilen referans aralıklarla karşılaştırmaktır. Gereç ve Yöntem: Ocak – Ekim 2021 tarihleri arasında laboratuvarımızda çalışılmış olan 1-99 yaş aralığındaki 195205 kişiye ait eş zamanlı olarak istenen TSH, sT4 ve sT3 sonuçları çalışmaya dahil edildi. Uç değerlerin belirlenmesi ve dışlanmasında Tukey yöntemi kullanıldı. Ardından non-parametrik ve Bhattacharya yöntemleri ile TSH, sT4 ve sT3 referans aralıkları hesaplandı. Referans aralıklar arasındaki uyumluluğun değerlendirilmesinde CLIA 19 kabul edilebilir limitleri kullanıldı. Bulgular: Pediatrik yaş grubu (1-17 yaş) için referans aralıklar non-parametrik yöntem ile TSH (0,56 - 5,93 mIU/L), sT4 (8,9 - 16,1 ng/L) ve sT3 (2,74 - 5,39 ng/L) bulunurken; Bhattacharya yöntemi ile TSH (0,67 - 3,08 mIU/L), sT4 (9,2 - 16,1 ng/L) ve sT3 (2,72 - 5,46 ng/L) olarak bulundu. Erişkin yaş grubu (18-99 yaş) için referans aralıklar non-parametrik yöntem ile TSH (0,10 - 4,98 mIU/L), sT4 (8,7 - 16,1 ng/L) ve sT3 (2,01 - 4,09 ng/L) bulunurken; Bhattacharya yöntemi ile TSH (0,18 - 3,07 mIU/L), sT4 (9,1 - 16,2 ng/L) ve sT3 (2,05 - 4,13 ng/L) olarak bulundu. Sonuç: sT4 ve sT3 referans aralıklarımızın üreticinin referans aralıkları ile uyumlu olarak kabul edilebilir olduğunu ancak TSH testi için pediatrik gruptaki üst referans sınır ve erişkin gruptaki alt referans sınır ile üreticinin referans sınırları arasında farklılık olduğunu belirledik. Laboratuvarların kendi referans aralıklarını belirlemesinin, test sonuçlarının doğru yorumlanabilmesi açısından büyük önem taşıdığını düşünmekteyiz.